Wrekin Stop War"a beacon in the fog of misinformation" |
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Wrekin Stop War"a beacon in the fog of misinformation" |
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Member Article submitted by andrew on Thursday, 23rd July 2009. 07:48 PM
Learning the lessons of the past
In the elections to the European parliament held on this day, the British
National Party (BNP), Britain's biggest neo-nazi organisation, made the
breakthrough which had so narrowly eluded it in the same elections held five
years earlier. Such an outcome is a real tragedy for the rest of us.
Member Article submitted by Rachel on Tuesday, 26th May 2009. 08:28 PM
My personal reasons for attending the demonstration against the G20 in London on 1st April 2009 were to make a statement against capitalism and, if necessary, to take part in direct action against the banking industry. I believe that systems of government as corrupt and oppressive as global capitalism leave those who oppose them no option than to resort to such an approach and although I favour local actions over so-called 'national' events (i.e. those in London), I thought that the Bank of England was a symbolic target worth travelling to the capital to take on.
Member Article submitted by Rachel on Tuesday, 26th May 2009. 07:51 PM
Much of the media commentary on Russia's recent invasion of Georgia has viewed the situation through the lens of post-Soviet geo-politics with Georgia playing David to Russia's mighty Goliath.
However, Mark Almond, a history lecturer at Oxford University, disagrees with such analyses and in a recent article for The Guardian, described criticism of Russia's actions as 'crudely simplistic'.1 He also spoke at a Stop the War Coalition meeting in London entitled Georgia, NATO & the Spread of War and, as the StWC's report on the event suggests "provided the meeting with the sort of background information on Georgia so sadly lacking on the BBC".2
Member Article submitted by Neil on Thursday, 23rd April 2009. 08:55 PM
It is 12:20 pm on the corner of 101 Bishops gate London, about a dozen Black-Block run swiftly through the building crowd chased by a similar number of heavily breathing overweight policemen. Six minutes later seven police vans turn into the street stuffed with plod. It seems the game is up before it has started. The Police appear to have been tipped off that our action is to take place. Suddenly hundreds of people crowd onto the street and spontaneously begin putting up tents. Police try to stop one or two tents going up but the numbers are overwhelming and they fall back to await further instructions. The Climate Camp in the City had arrived.
Member Article submitted by Graham on Thursday, 23rd April 2009. 08:32 PM
The G20 summit was scheduled to take part in London around April 2nd. Their plan was to address the issues regarding the ongoing financial crisis. Their aim was present to the world a facade of a united front, that the G20 nations would be working together finding solutions to the current global crisis.
The reality was more bailouts for the large financial institutions and a $1.1000000000000 hand out for the IMF ( International Monetary Fund ) one of the major contributors to the increase in poverty in the so called developing world. There was no concrete talk on environmental issues and the false logic of endless economic growth on a planet of finite resources.
Member Article submitted by Duncan on Thursday, 23rd April 2009. 08:12 PM
On radio 4's "Any Answers" the Saturday 4th April broadcast following the G20 in London listeners were asking why the BBC had not addressed the concerns of the protesters. Why were their views ignored? Why indeed? It would seem that ignoring the views of demonstrators who oppose the policies of our rulers is standard practice. As is presenting them as unwashed, unemployed yobs with nothing better to do than March around London damaging property and attacking the police. As if to illustrate this point a second listener to "Any Answers." rang in to ask of the BBC. "Why did we hear nothing of the Royal Bank of Scotland till a demonstrator threw a brick through the window?" The point being that the RBS likes to refer to itself as the "Oil and Gas Bank". Due to the huge amount of funding it supplies to those two respective industries. It could be argued, and this point possibly was not lost on the stone thrower, that the Royal Bank of Scotland is funding climate change. Again it is prudent for the media to leave the masses ignorant of that fact.
Member Article submitted by Laurens on Tuesday, 14th April 2009. 06:51 PM
I had been fairly apprehensive for some time; over a week before the demo the police force were announcing that they feared that there would be vandalism and violence, we were told, at least a week before the demo, that they had had tip-off's that "organisers of past demonstrations were coming out of retirement to organise this series." They also said they had infiltrated a number of groups - which since the planning meetings were all open, and the plans were on the internet, - might seem a little unnecessary.
There is no pension scheme for Libertarian-Left propagandists, any more than there is pay, people are active because they believe in something, they do a lot, get few results, and inevitably people drop-out from burn-out or disheartened, some changing their politics radically, or for family or job circumstances, or for reasons of health, (these latter can change again, and the disheartened can on occasions regain hope.) With one notable exception, - when in 1964, someone who had been a Tory for nine years, returned pretending he had been a prominent anarchist all along - returnees come back apologetically, apt to stay in the background; they don't expect to take over the running of demos.
Member Article submitted by andrew on Wednesday, 1st April 2009. 07:52 PM
Learning the lessons of the past
As World War I drew to an end, key elements of Adolf Hitler's personality were already in place: rabid German nationalism and an equally virulent racism, particularly anti-semitism. However, one further element was needed to complete the deadly trifecta because, at this point, he had little in the way of leadership skills. Many years later, this point was made by his commanding officer, Captain Fritz Wiedemann.
"Hitler was an excellent soldier... but we could find no reason to promote him as he lacked the qualities required to become a leader."
Member Article submitted by andrew on Saturday, 6th December 2008. 03:01 PM
Learning the lessons of the past
In the latter part of the twentieth century, the United States has produced some enormously powerful and influential conservative politicians. Jesse Helms was one such figure. However, what distinguishes Helms from other prominent conservatives such as Reagan, Goldwater, and even Nixon, is the deeply regrettable fact that he did not really have a positive side.
His political career is remarkable for its almost total negativity.
[JB's note: Sorry it has taken me so long to put this online.]
Member Article submitted by JB on Friday, 23rd May 2008. 07:53 PM
The lies that led to war
In testimony before the U S House of Representatives Human Rights Caucus, a 15 year-old Kuwaiti girl called simply 'Nayirah' gave the following harrowing testimony about the behaviour of Iraqi invasion troops at the hospital where she worked:
"I volunteered at the al-Addan hospital...While I was there, I saw the Iraqi soldiers come into the hospital with guns, and go into the room where . . . babies were in incubators. They took the babies out of the incubators, took the incubators, and left the babies on the cold floor to die."